Hake

At a glance

MORE ABOUT RED HAKE

A relative of the cod, red hake is a mottled reddish to olive brown color, with a pale belly. It reaches up to 1.5 feet (0.5 meter) in length. Red hake inhabit soft muddy and sandy bottoms; juveniles live inside of scallop shells, and remain close to scallop beds until they mature.

Commercial Sources

Red hake are found in the western North Atlantic, from southern Nova Scotia in Canada to North Carolina.

Capture Methods

MORE ABOUT SILVER HAKE

Silver hake is a medium-sized relative of the cod that grows up to 2.5 feet (0.8 meters) in length and lives in shallow, sandy-bottomed waters. It is a voracious predator, known to occasionally attack and eat its own kind.

Commercial Sources

Silver hake are found in the western North Atlantic, from the Bell Isle Channel in Canada to the Bahamas but are most common from southern Newfoundland to South Carolina.

The main sources of silver hake are the United States, Canada and Cuba.

Capture Methods

Silver hake come from marine fisheries, not fish farms. They are primarily caught with bottom trawls. Additional types of fishing gear include gillnets and seines.

MORE ABOUT WHITE HAKE

A relative of the cod, white hake has a dark back, with a lighter belly ranging from dirty to yellow white. It can reach 3.5 feet (1.1 meters) in length. White hake lives along the ocean bottom on the continental shelf.

Commercial Sources

White hake are found in the western North Atlantic, from Labrador and the Grand Banks of Newfoundland to North Carolina.

The main sources of white hake are Canada and the United States.

Capture Methods

White hake come from marine fisheries, not fish farms. They are primarily caught with bottom trawls and gillnets. Additional types of fishing gear include hooks-and-lines.

MORE ABOUT HOKI

The sleek blue-green and silver Hoki usually stays close to the ocean bottom, moving to deeper levels as it matures. Juveniles, however, may be found in shallower waters, in estuaries and bays and even freshwater. Subtropical fish, Hokis are found in the Southwest Pacific, New Zealand and southern Australia. They can reach 4.3 feet (130 cm) and live up to 25 years.

Commercial Sources

Hoki are found in the western South Pacific, around New Zealand and southern Australia.

The main source of hoki is New Zealand.

Capture Methods

Hoki come from marine fisheries, not fish farms. They are primarily caught with trawls.

MORE ABOUT PACIFIC WHITING

Pacific whiting is a silvery fish with a whitish belly, which can reach nearly 3 feet (0.9 meter) in length. A relative of the cod, it lives both in open ocean and coastal areas, mainly near the continental shelf. This fish is important prey for sea lions and small whales.

Commercial Sources

Pacific whiting are found in the eastern North Pacific, from northern Vancouver Island in Canada to the northern Gulf of California in Mexico.

The main source of Pacific whiting is the United States.

Capture Methods

Pacific whiting come from marine fisheries, not fish farms. They are primarily caught with bottom and midwater trawls.

This chart shows how much can safely be eaten each MONTH (assuming no other contaminated fish is consumed). The advice is based on EPA guidance and the latest mercury data. More on contaminants »

Eco details:

Hake is a relative of cod and is usually caught by gillnets or bottom trawling. This can sometimes result in bycatch and damage to seafloor habitats.

In New England, hake are now caught under an innovative new ‘sector’ management plan. Discards in the fishery have dramatically decreased, sector fishermen stayed under their catch limits for all groundfish species, and less gear was deployed compared to previous years.